Power, Privilege, and the Shaping of Cultural Consciousness

Based on the revealing and provocative testimony of approximately one hundred powerful, upper-income white men, White Men on Race shows how white men see racial “others,” how they see white America, how they view racial conflicts, and what they expect for the future of the country.

“White Men on Race illustrates the way privileged white men think about others, it is a major contribution to our understanding of racial privilege and its denial in our society.” —Hernán Vera, author of Screen Saviors: Hollywood Fictions of Whiteness

“White Men on Race provides penetrating insights into the range of racial attitudes of the upper class in the United States. Feagin and O’Brien’s compelling analysis of rare data is quite provocative and illuminating.” —Dr. Bernice McNair Barnett, associate professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“Race in America has always been a black-white affair, with the scrutiny largely on the former. Feagin and O’Brien’s book seeks to remedy this imbalance by placing 100 elite white males in the interrogation chair, prodding them about life in the ‘white bubble,’ their views on affirmative action, and their interactions with people of color (which range from limited to none).” —David Ng, Village Voice

“A sobering perspective on racial bias.” —Psychology Today

“Full of sharp and nuanced insights, this book offers a revealing glimpse into the heart of whiteness.” —Publishers Weekly

“Sociologists Feagin and O’Brien provide a fascinating, complex, and brutally honest look at how a segment of society has the ability to affect, both positively and negatively, policy and treatment of people.” —K. M. Jamieson, Choice